About the Book
Including all Robert Boyle's published works, this is the final seven volumes of a 14-volume set. All texts are fully annotated and comprehensively indexed. Works originally in Latin are presented in their contemporary English translations.
Table of Contents:
VOLUME 8 Publications of 1674-6, volume 9 Publications of 1678-83, VOLUME 10 Notion of Nature and other publications of 1684-6, VOLUME 11 The Christian Virtuoso and other publications of 1687-91, VOLUME 12 Posthumous publications, 1692-1744, VOLUME 13 Unpublished writings, 1645-c. 1670, VOLUME 14 Unpublished writings, c. 1670-91; Lists of Boyle s unpublished writings, 1650-1744 Index
About the Author :
Editorial board Michael Hunter is Professor of History, Birkbeck College, University of London Edward B Davis is Professor of History of Science, Messiah College, Pennsylvania
Review :
'This is an extremely complex edition, as the editors were confronted with many problems, including the need to distinguish between Boyle's notes and those of the editors, the noting of variant readings, and Boyle's insertion of parenthetical matter in manuscripts. The editors are to be congratulated for having produced an uncluttered text. Indeed, in all respects it is a truly monumental accomplishment, one deserving the highest possible praise.' - Jan W Wojcik, Journal of the History of Philosophy 'The volumes as a whole ... provide much the most comprehensive collection of Boyle's writings hitherto available in any standard format. In addition to the sheer number of Boyle's writings here presented, however, the new edition surpasses the old Birch version in countless ways. The texts themselves are as close as possible to the originals; Birch contains altered spelling and other textual conventions to suit eighteenth-century practices. The new Works not only provides the first published versions of each of the texts, but also includes variants and additions from later authorized editions and even, where appropriate, from manuscript versions. Each volume also includes at the end a glossary of potentially unfamiliar terms such as Boyle's expressions for chemical substances, while all Latin passages are provided with English translations. Finally, the set is provided with a mammoth index of 140 pages, and a concordance with the Birch edition for the benefit of those accustomed to the latter's much less manageable volumes... almost all scholars interested in Boyle and his world will, I suspect, be delighted that such a resource as this new edition of his Works has been made available to them in old-fashioned paper volumes... The publishers, as well as the editors, are to be congratulated on an edition destined for frequent reference in the decades, or even centuries, ahead.' - Peter Dear, British Journal for the History of Science 'This new edition of The Works of Robert Boyle represents a truly impressive achievement in the massive undertaking spearheaded by Michael Hunter known as the "Robert Boyle Project" that will also involve the eventual publication of six volumes of Boyle's correspondence and an electronic edition of his work diaries. Physically this edition, with it's modern typeface and smaller pages, is a significant improvement over the standard eighteenth-century edition by Thomas Birch... Reading Boyle's works in this new format has been a rewarding experience. The Hunter and Davis edition will surely supplant the Birch, but a long transition period is likely. The Birch edition will retain its historical significance, of course, but it will also need to continue to be consulted because the massive amount of Boyle scholarship produced over the last twenty years has relied on it. In effect, Boyle scholars will need to have easy access to both editions. It is becoming an expensive undertaking to pursue the historical study of science. University and college libraries may balk at the price tag for the Hunter and Davis edition. The price is small, however, when the new material is taken into consideration. The editors have returned Boyle's texts to their original presentation, have corrected centuries of errors surrounding his works, and have provided a wealth of information that will save many the enormous effort that previously had to be expended on understanding his intellectual context and tracking down his references. The Hunter and Davis edition must now be considered the definitive one.' - Rose-Mary Sargent, Annals of Science 'This is a splendid contribution to Boyle studies, a monument of scholarship, and a model of what a major edition should be. It immediately takes its place as the definitive edition of Boyle's works, and belongs in every serious research library concerned with the seventeenth-century history, the history of science, the history of religion, and the history of philosophy. In days when library budgets are under assault, the price will give acquisition librarians pause, but it is worth it for the fourteen substantial volumes of this edition. Scholars will find access to this resource essential... There is no way of doing justice to this edition short of using it, and it will repay both intensive and happy browsing. It is physically attractive, with clear modern type, on good quality acid-free paper, and bound in volumes that are vastly more comfortable to handle than those of Birch's edition. The editors express the hope that their edition may be useful for as long as Birch's has been - rather more than two centuries. I am betting that their wish will be granted, although I shan't be around to collect any winnings. The editors and the publisher are to be congratulated on a very significant achievement. Tell your librarian to read Strunk and White, then follow their advice to "buy this book. Buy this book. Buy this book."' - Trevor Levere, Canadian Journal of History 'In this new edition of Boyle's Works, Hunter and Davis have made a major contribution to the resources available to historians of science and other scholars interested in Boyle and in early modern thought. This set of volumes will be essential for all future scholarship on Boyle and early modern natural philosophy. It sets a high standard for the publication of primary sources in a reliable and useful form. Libraries around the world must acquire this edition as well as the forthcoming edition of Boyle's correspondence as fundamental sources for scholarly research.' - Margaret J Osler, Isis 'One facet - indeed, arguably, one cause - of the less than completely happy state of Boyle studies has been the lack of any modern scholarly edition of his published works... Birch's The Works of the Honourable Robert Boyle was not a bad edition by the standards of the day, but it has long been known to be incomplete and in some respects untrustworthy. The publication by Pickering & Chatto of The Works of Robert Boyle is therefore particularly welcome. It meets the exemplary editorial and production standards scholars have come to expect from that enlightened publishing house.' - Roy Porter, History of Science 'Things are quite different with the superb new edition produced by Michael Hunter and Edward Davis. It is an attractive, well-produced, user-friendly set. The editors have exercised meticulous care in collating the various editions of the forty or so books Boyle published during his lifetime and in offering helpful yet nonintrusive explanatory notes, cross-references to Boyle's other writings (both published and unpublished), and clear translations of all non-English texts. In addition, the introductions to each work provide highly relevant discussions of the circumstances of publication. Most important, in contrast to Birch's edition, which included only the published works, the edition of Hunter and Davis devotes two full volumes to sections discarded from or added to various printed works and to envisaged but incomplete treatises. The reconstruction of both published and unpublished works was no easy task, not least because Boyle's morbid fear of literary theft made him compose on separate sheets that were deliberately kept apart. One can only admire the uncanny ability of the editors to recognize the relatedness of seemingly loose pages to a particular project.' - Mordechai Feingold, American Scientist 'Many scholars are comfortable using the 1772 edition of Birch, as indeed I am myself; we know our way around it; we have a feel for the lie of its contents; we have learnt its idiosyncrasies, perhaps even annotated it. This must all be left behind now. The new Works supersedes Birch 1772 and all other editions. It is a more accurate text, better laid out, will be better indexed, is better referenced, and easier to use. Some of us may want to keep Birch's edition on our back shelves for nostalgic reasons, but the Pickering Masters Boyle must now be within easy reach. For serious scholarship and related research, all new work starts here.' - Peter Anstey, Metascience
